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Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf is a tone poem written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936. Performed with narration, it tells the story of a boy named Peter who is warned by his grandfather not to venture beyond his home for fear of being attacked by wolves. The fearless Peter defies his grandfather, by venturing out to catch one on his own with the help of some animal friends. Each character in the story is represented by a group of instruments in the orchestra, and assist in telling the story. Adaptations * Sesame Street tells the story in the home video release, Elmo's Musical Adventure: Peter and the Wolf. Baby Bear and Papa Bear attend a Boston Pops concert, at which Baby Bear imagines Elmo and his other friends as characters in the story. * That same year (2001), the cast of Sesame Street participated in a performance of the piece with the Boston Pops for Evening at Pops. * The Sesame Street Players Present Peter and the Wolf is a book and tape set that adapts the story as a Sesame Street pageant. * The book and tape set Meet Big Bird's Orchestra features a selection from the musical. * The Muppet Babies episode "Skeeter and the Wolf" is the babies' adaptation of the story, but Prokofiev's music is not used. References * Big Bird and Grover listen to a recording of Peter and the Wolf in the book A Visit to the Sesame Street Library. * Two sketches from a 2001 episode of Sesame Street featuring Prairie Dawn and the Big Bad Wolf end with a music sting that briefly quotes Peter's theme from the score. * Peter's theme from the score also appears as background music during the "Musical Fairy Tales" sketch with Little Red Riding Hood. *An animated Sesame Street insert features the Big Bad Wolf, in sheep's clothing, humming the classic score (Peter's theme) as he enters and exits. Connections Many celebrities have recorded narration to accompany the music of Peter and the Wolf, including: * Kirstie Alley narrated a TV version by Chuck Jones (1995) * Richard Attenborough and the Philharmonia of Hamburg (1966) * Bil Baird created and puppeteered marionettes for Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf (TV, 1958) * Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic (1960) * David Bowie and the Philadelphia Orchestra (1978) * Art Carney appeared in Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf (1958) * Carol Channing and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (1979) * Bill Clinton and the Russian National Orchestra (2003) * Phil Collins performed on The Rock Peter and the Wolf (1975) * Alice Cooper and Bundesjugendorchester (2015) * Dame Edna Everage and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (1997) * Mia Farrow and the London Symphony Orchestra (1973) * Faz Fazakas puppeteered marionettes for Art Carney Meets Peter and the Wolf (TV, 1958) * José Ferrer and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra (1959) * John Gielgud and the Academy of London Orchestra (1994) and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (1996) * Hermione Gingold and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (1975) * Arthur Godfrey and Andre Kostelanetz's Orchestra (1955) * Lorne Greene and the London Symphony Orchestra (1965) * Melissa Joan Hart and the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1994) * Bob Keeshan and the Stadium Symphony Orchestra of New York (1960) * Ben Kingsley and the London Symphony Orchestra (1996) * Joanna Lumley and the English Northern Philharmonia (2005) * Bob McGrath and the Empire State Youth Orchestra (2000) and many live orchestras * Dudley Moore and the Boston Pops (1984) * Itzhak Perlman and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (1986) * Peter Schickele adapted the work as "Sneaky Pete and the Wolf" (1993) * Harry Shearer and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (2015) * Patrick Stewart and the Orchestre de L'Opéra National de Lyon (1994) * Peter Ustinov and the Philharmonia Orchestra (1956 and 1989) * Jonathan Winters and the Philharmonia Orchestra (1989) * Terry Wogan and the Boston Pops (1984) * "Weird Al" Yankovic, arranged by Wendy Carlos (1988) __NOWYSIWYG__ Category:Musical References